I've had much the same experience. I wanted to like OSX Server, but they make it so hard. I discovered one day that leaving the admin interface open sometimes de-configures Samba in such a way as to kick all my Windows PCs off the domain. Gah! Plus, Win7 clients are not supported to bind to the domain even if I wanted because Apple uses an ancient version of Samba.

I was already working on moving away from OSX Server, this move just seals the deal.

I posted above, but I think things were lost in the noise. I've been using anyInventory ( http://anyinventory.sourceforge.net/ ) for my electronics catalog. The bonus is that it is a web interface, so you can use any web browser to view/search/edit your inventory, which is a big plus over zparts, I think.

My internal part numbering system is a 3x4 part number, ie, 100-0001, where the first 3 digits are a category of part (resistor, 74 series, whatever) and the 4 digit is just a number I assign to make it unique. This allows me to specify my part number on a schematic or BOM along with the refdes and value so I know exactly the part and footprint I need.

Secondly, I have a series of drawer cabinets, bins, etc as needed to store the parts, each labeled with drawer, cabinet, shelf (usually with a barcode for some future fun with a barcode reader).

My internal part numbering system is a 3x4 part number, ie, 100-0001, where the first 3 digits are a category of part (resistor, 74 series, whatever) and the 4 digit is just a number I assign to make it unique. This allows me to specify my part number on a schematic or BOM along with the refdes and value so I know exactly the part and footprint I need.

Secondly, I have a series of drawer cabinets, bins, etc as needed to store the parts, each labeled with drawer, cabinet, shelf (usually with a barcode for some future fun with a barcode reader).

Why go to all the bother? Seriously, I have hundreds and hundreds of parts. I work on circuits for a living, and trust me, not having the organized blows.

I started on another project at one point in time that would automate assigning parts to a 'product' or 'project' so you could wasily generate invoices or costing, but I have not completed it yet. I'll probably get back into that this year, though.

Posted
by
Soulskillon Saturday August 08, 2009 @05:13AM
from the pulling-a-davis dept.

zerointeger writes "I am still fairly new to programming in C, but I was asked to extend an open source authentication module by my employer. The project is complete, testing has been done and it works as designed. The extension/patch I have created is fairly robust, as it includes configuration options, help files, and several additional files. The problem is that I have been unable to make contact with the current maintainer about having this feature added. I think the only reason I'd like to see this included is to prevent any patching of later revisions. A few others I have spoken with agree that the patch would benefit administrators attempting to push Linux onto the desktop, as we have done at the University that employs me. Has anyone else submitted patches/extensions to what seems to be a black hole?"

Posted
by
CmdrTacoon Wednesday December 03, 2008 @11:39AM
from the but-i-live-in-a-fake-world dept.

Ashmash writes "Phoronix has put out a fresh series of benchmarks that show the real world performance of the Ext4 file-system. They ran 19 tests on Fedora 10 with changing out their primary partition to test Ext3, Ext4, Xfs, and ReiserFS. The Linux 2.6.27 kernel was used with the latest file-system support. In the disk benchmarks like Bonnie++ Ext4 was a clear winner but with the real world tests the results were much tighter and Xfs also possessed many wins. They conclude though that Ext4 is a nice upgrade over Ext3 due to the new features and just not improved performance in a few areas, but its lifespan may be short with btrfs coming soon."

The POINT of ABS simple: a tire that can turn is a tire that can steer. That's it! You lock up your tires, it doesn't matter what you do with that wheel, you are no longer in control of the vehicle. You will continue along your force vector until you have lost your momentum.

There is a second thing at work here. The coefficient of friction is different depending on if the tire is skidding over the pavement or if it has not broken free. Thus, you have more stopping power at your disposal if you do not break traction, and as such, you can stop quicker.

ABS is a good thing. It's a computer handling the details of these two items while your mind is busy panicing. So, let's see... more stopping power, the ability to steer at maximum braking, vs... sliding along in the direction of your force vector getting a front row seat to the excitement?

Posted
by
kdawsonon Friday September 05, 2008 @12:19PM
from the just-in-case dept.

paulkoan writes "I have been using ReiserFS for my file system across a few servers for some time now (follow the link below for details of my experience). I can't foresee the future of ReiserFS, but if I'm going to have to migrate as support diminishes, I'd like to begin that process now. My criteria are: in-kernel support, shrinkable, and has good recovery when the file system is not closed properly. That shrinkable requirement precludes a lot of options. What's a good replacement for ReiserFS?"

Posted
by
timothyon Wednesday August 13, 2008 @02:53PM
from the aside-from-snow-crash-and-politics dept.

missb writes "Brain tissue cultured from rats has controlled a wheeled robot around a lab, according to New Scientist this week. Researchers in the UK have harnessed signals from thousands of disembodied rat neurons, and manipulated them to get a robot to respond to instructions. The team at the University of Reading in the UK hope their research will help provide treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's and epilepsy."

Posted
by
timothyon Tuesday April 29, 2008 @01:17PM
from the work-from-home dept.

perlow writes "Yesterday, the Open Source community took an emotional hit when veteran Linux programmer Hans Reiser was convicted of first degree murder in the suspicious disappearing of his wife, Nina. While I won't go into the details of the case, as this has been covered extensively in the press, I would like to talk a little bit about how this verdict will impact the technology in play for file system dominance in our favorite Open Source operating system, Linux."

Posted
by
kdawsonon Monday April 28, 2008 @07:32PM
from the so-much-for-the-geek-defense dept.

Anonymous Meoward writes "Today Hans Reiser was found guilty of first degree murder in Oakland, California. Quoting Wired: 'In a murder case with no body, no crime scene, no reliable eyewitness and virtually no physical evidence, the prosecution began the trial last November with a daunting task ahead... The turning point in the trial came when Reiser took the stand in his own defense March 3.' Whether he really did it or not, Hans basically just didn't know when to shut up."